The federal government has expressed desire to optimize the revenue-generating capacity of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo , disclosed this during a visit to one of the facilities of Lagos Airport.
Speaking during visit, Keyamo said 60% revenue of FAAN comes from Lagos, and as such the new terminal should be used optimally.
He said the new terminal has 60 check-in points and can accommodate much traffic.
Stating that the old terminal should undergo a complete overhaul, he noted that the central cooling system is not working, and a lot of dilapidation needs to be fixed.
He further directed that all airlines in the old terminal should move their check-in counters to the new terminal within three months.
On concession of the airports and Nigeria air project, the Minister said all will be put on hold until he briefs Mr. President on his findings.
He stated that as much as he is willing to protect the local airlines, he expects them to be more efficient and effective, noting that issues of flight cancellation and delays will be looked into and laws enforced where necessary.
He further directed the removal of unserviceable aircraft by the owners for the expansion of Apron.
To give space for the expansion of the new terminal to accommodate bigger aircraft, Keyamo said he would discuss with owners of private hangers within the space for possible relocation of their hangers.
In an earlier development, Keyamo announced the suspension of the fraudulent Nigeria Air project
Keyamo said that the suspension of Nigeria Air is following the briefing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the allegedly non-transparent processes of the project.
It could be revealed that an investigative journalist, Mr. David Hundeyin, made several revelations about the project which were rejected by many people.
Mr. Hundeyin accused the former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, of fleecing the Nigerian government under the leadership of former President Muhammadu Buhari of tens of billions of Naira.
Surprisingly, till today, Sirika has not been arrested for repainting a chattered Ethiopian Airlines flight, taking pictures and returning it to the owner.
Read also:
REVEALED: Nigeria Air never existed, Sirika allegedly scammed Buhari, Nigerians N85bn
In previous allegations, Sirika was accused of spending N12 billion to purchase 10 fire trucks, meaning that each truck cost N1.2 billion.
Way back in 2017, it was also reported that the former Minister spent $600,000 on logo design contracted to a company in Bahrain.
Today, the project, then known as Air Nigeria, stands suspended by Tinubu’s administration. Read more.
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